Mother Teresa
by Myra109
Summary: While attending a ball for Piper's father, Leo sees a woman that looks frighteningly familiar. And apparently, the woman recognizes him as well. How will Leo manage living with his abusive foster mom? And how far will the Camp go to get him back? Abuse, language, verbal abuse, some sexual abuse but nothing too graphic, Leo never met Calypso, rating may change
1. Lady Of His Nightmares

_Mother Teresa won my poll, and therefore, this will be posted first! For those of you that wanted other stories, I'll be posting those, too. This is just the first!_

 _Also, the title is meant to be ironic because for those of you that know who Mother Teresa is, she was a really great person, but Leo's foster mother is the complete opposite. That's the reason it's called Mother Teresa and not Miss Teresa or something similar._

 ** _Disclaimer: if I owned HOO, why would I be writing here for free when I could be making thousands, maybe even millions, of dollars. Really, people?_**

 ** _WARNINGS: LANGUAGE, IMPLIED ABUSE_**

* * *

Leo didn't want to go to the ball, but of course, Piper was making him and Jason go anyway ("My dad's getting an award and I don't want to go alone, so would you two please come with me?"). He didn't understand why Jason couldn't just go with her and he was sure that Piper had slipped in some charmspeak to make the fire user go to this thing, but he knew that his best friend wouldn't do that. If he knew what was going to occur at the ball, he sure as hell would've stayed at camp.

Complaining about having to wear a fancy suit, Leo lugged himself out of the limo. "Why couldn't Jason just go with you?"

"Because you're my best friend," Piper replied.

"And you also wanted to dress me up like one of those groom figurines on top of the wedding cakes," Leo pointed out with a smirk and Piper blushed.

"Come on, Leo, give it a chance!" Jason persuaded.

"I went to enough balls when I was living with one of my foster mothers. I hated those things!" Leo groaned, stifling a shiver at the memory of this particular foster mother.

"So this isn't your first rodeo?" Jason sounded so suprised, Leo laughed.

"Jason, I have probably done everything you can think of!"

"Rode a horse?"

"Won some competitions too."

"Rode a motorcycle?"

"Crashed into a police cruiser, but yes."

"Drove a car?"

"I had to make a quick getaway!"

"Played Pokémon whilst drinking chocolate milk in an ice bath?"

"It was a dare!"

"Give up, Jason, I think he's right. He's done everything," Piper snorted at the look on her boyfriend's face.

"Thank you, Piper!"

"Pipes!" Their strange conversation was cut short when a very familiar voice screamed Piper's famous nickname, the nickname her father had given her.

They turned and saw Tristan McLean rushing to meet them, decked out in a fancy tuxedo with a black tie and gelled dark brown, almost black hair.

Leo thought that they all measured up to him. He himself was wearing a similar suit, but with a red tie, and Piper had managed to tame his brown curls to be semi decent (he absolutely refused to use gel or moose or anything of the sort). She'd taken his tool belt and placed it in her purse, charmed to be virtually bottomless while hanging on a golden cord. This was only in case of a monster attack and she was keeping her dagger in there as well, but Jason's coin remained in his pocket.

Anyway, Jason was dressed similarly in a nice suit and with a blue tie to match his eyes. His hair wasn't gelled because it was always windblown enough to look cute by girl's standards but not enough to be entirely messy (at least that's what the Aphrodite kids say; it really made no sense to Leo).

Piper was radiant in her blue dress, which was only slightly lighter than Jason's tie, the change in tones almost unnoticeable. Leo couldn't help but feel like they had done this, so everyone would recognize them as a couple and him as their annoying friend. Her hair was still choppy, but she'd brushed it and it now smelled so strongly of lavender that Leo was sure Camp Half-Blood could smell it across the country. She'd actually put on a little bit of makeup but not Drew territory and definitely not Isabelle territory.

"Why, don't all of you look spiffy tonight?" Mr. McLean teased. "Nice to see you again, Jason, Leo."

Before we continue, you should know that Piper did eventually inform her dad of their heptic demigod lives, shortly after the giant war. It had taken a few days of wandering around in shock until he finally accepted it and Hazel had actually found a way to lift the mist for him to see Piper's dagger as truth. She'd brought the son of Jupiter and the child of blacksmiths to meet her dad, and they were practically family now.

"Hello, Mr. McLean," Jason greeted and Leo waved, awkwardly.

"For the last time, you two, call me Tristan," Mr. McLean smiled, good naturally. "Now, what were we all talking about?"

"All the crazy things Leo's done," Piper responded.

"I still cannot believe you played Pokémon while drinking chocolate milk in an ice bath!" Jason exclaimed, and Mr. McLean raised an eyebrow.

"I've got a picture somewhere. I was also wearing a cheerleading uniform," Leo laughed. "I've also jumped off of a building; kicked a police officer where the sun don't shine, if you know what I mean; and used a construction site as a playground."

As he ticked them off on his fingers, he noticed that all three of them were gazing at him in wonder.

"Okay," Piper snapped in a motherly voice, "we need to talk about what dangerous things you _are_ allowed to do and dangerous things you are _not_ allowed to do!"

All four of them laughed before waking inside.

Leo immediately became anxious. He didn't have good memories when it came to balls or dances of any kind, and he was sure that this wasn't going to be the first.

If it wasn't for the McLeans, Leo and Jason would've blended in perfectly with all the other males in suits and girls in ball gowns. Yet, with Piper and her dad... it was an entirely different story.

People stopped whatever they were doing- dancing, eating, talking, whatever- to stare at the celebrity, his daughter, her boyfriend, and their friend, who was kind of feeling like an outsider. After a moment of shocked nothingness, everything started to go back to normal, except for one woman, who stared intently.

She looked so familiar to Leo with her blonde hair that rivaled the color of Annabeth's when it came to how golden it was. She was dressed in a pretty blue dress that reached her ankles, the color of ice, and it matched her cold eyes that were locked on Leo's. She wore a lot of makeup but not enough to be ugly. Her lips were red as blood and her skin lightly blushed but otherwise only a shade darker than Nico's Di Angelo's, who was the palest person Leo knew. When she smiled cruelly, it clicked.

"Oh no," Leo whispered.

"What?" Piper asked, and he realized that he'd interrupted her while she was talking to her dad about what had been going on at camp lately.

When Leo didn't answer, the three followed his gaze.

"That's Teresa Wilkes," Tristan said, looking perplexed. "What about her?"

"She used to be my foster mother," Leo mumbled, his hands trembling.

"What?" Piper gasped. "Really?"

Leo nodded.

"So what are you oh noing about?" Jason questioned.

"My time with her were the worst three months of my life, Jason." As if on cue, Teresa seemed to break out of her shock and strolled over to them.

"Leo Valdez, darling," she smiled, sickly sweet, and he noticed that she had never lost that hint of British accent that had faded since she moved here when she was nineteen. It was still present and hadn't changed in the past four years.

"M-M-Miss T-T-Teresa," Leo stuttered, and his friends and Piper's dad stared at him, wondering why he was so scared of this woman.

"Long time, no see, _my_ little runaway," she murmured. Jason didn't miss the way she put emphasis on the my, and a barely audible growl escaped him.

"It isn't polite to leave without a goodbye," she said, and she put a hand on his shoulder, seemingly an innocent gesture, but Tristan didn't miss the way she squeezed it bruisingly or the way Leo flinched. He put his hand on Leo's other shoulder and pulled his honorary son away from the woman with a forced smile.

"We best be going," he said through gritted teeth. "It was nice meeting you, Teresa."

He dragged his daughter and unofficially adopted sons away from the smirking woman, but not before she hissed, "Stick around, Leonardo, you'll learn that everything comes with a price."

* * *

 _What'd you think of the first chapter? It turned out shorter than I wanted it to, but around chapters three or four, the chapters will start to get longer. REVIEW!_


	2. Legal Issues

_I know, I know, I've been neglecting this story for nearly two months, but in my defense, I didn't expect it to be so popular. I'm here now._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

WARNINGS: LANGUAGE, NONGRAPHIC CHILD ABUSE

* * *

"What the fuck do you mean I have to go with them?"

"Leo, calm down. I'm sorry, but Ms. Wilkes has more power than I do," Piper's dad begged for him to understand. "I've done everything I can."

"Can't Piper charmspeak her?" Leo pleaded, turning to his best friend.

Piper shook her head. "That's not how it works, Leo. I can do it, but it won't be permanent. They'll remember before we even get to camp and they'll come after you. Even if we did make it to camp, you'd never be able to leave camp again."

"So?" Leo practically yelped. "I hardly leave camp anyway."

"Leo, this means no more quests, no more hardware shops, no more dates outside of Camp. You'll practically be a prisoner," Jason pointed out. "We're going to talk to Chiron and make some legal forms to put you in 'Mr. Brunner's' custody. It'll take a few weeks at most, a couple of days at least. You won't be there for long."

"A few days is all it takes, Jason," Leo said.

Jason opened his mouth to ask why Teresa scared him so much when even Gaea hadn't frightened him to this extent when a Social Services man walked up to them.

"Nice to see you again, Leo," the man said with a kind smile. "We meet in the oddest places."

Leo waved, awkward but still friendly. The man obviously wasn't an enemy. "Hey, Mr. Martin, long time, no see."

"Leo," Mr. Martin's expression suddenly turned solemn, "you know I wouldn't let her take you back if I could, but it's out of my hands."

"You remember what she did to me!" Leo's voice reached an incredibly high pitch, making him sound like a terrified toddler. "Hell, the whole court remembers what she did to me!"

"I know, Leo, but there was no evidence to back it up. It just looked like an accident and the teachers told me that you had quite a few enemies at school. There wasn't enough evidence to put her behind bars," Mr. Martin reminded him.

"But-"

"Leo, we must be going. And your friends have already informed me that they are calling your guardian for the papers. If everything goes as planned, then, you won't be there for more than a few weeks."

"One moment, not even one second, was all it took for her to nearly kill me. What's gonna happen within a few weeks?" Leo said, his voice dangerously quiet.

Mr. Martin stared at him, sadly. "Leo-"

"Mr. Martin, Valdez, we must be going. Mustn't keep Ms. Wilkes waiting," a stiff backed man in a business suit said, flatly, glaring at Leo. "She's anxious to be reunited with the little runaway."

"I bet she is," Leo muttered, his eyes darker than Piper and Jason had ever seen them.

"Come along," the man said and with one last wave over his shoulder at his friends, Leo was shoved into at social services car and taken to the house of Teresa Wilkins.

Jason, Piper, and Mr. McLean exchanged glances. "We have to get him back," they said in tandem.

* * *

"Oh, Iris, goddess of the rainbow, accept my offering. Show me Chiron at Camp Half-Blood," Piper spoke clearly, tossing the drachma into the hastily made rainbow.

Chiron quickly appeared, displaying him standing beside the Head Table in a full Pavillion.

"Chiron!" Piper exclaimed, not even noticing her fellow campers. "We need help."

"Why? Has a monster attacked?" He asked in an urgent tone of voice.

"I bet Leo thinks of it that way," Jason responded and Piper kicked him in the shin but secretly agreed with him.

"Tonight at the ball," she began, "Leo noticed a woman standing in the ballroom and he told us that it was his past foster mother, Teresa Wilkes. She contacted social services and they gave her custody of Leo because since the papers were never technically filled out to take Leo out of her custody, she is still his legal guardian."

By the end of her explanation, the camp was in uproar, but somehow, she was able to hear Harley's quiet voice above them all.

"Does that mean Leo's not coming back?" Harley was a pretty tough kid, being only eight, but his bottom lip was quivering and tears brimmed his eyes. Jake Mason held him close, but his eyes were bright with fear as well.

"Not exactly," Jason stepped in. "All we need is for you to make some legal papers that we can give the lawyers. The Athena kids could probably do it with some help from Leo's friends since they have all his information. Chiron could sign the papers and Leo would be in the care of 'Mr. Brunner'."

Chiron nodded slowly. "That may work, but it's still risky."

Percy laughed in the background. "Chiron, we invented risky."

Chiron nodded his head in agreement. "You've got a point, Percy. Alright, I will begin immediately. In the mean time, I want you to contact Jason's sister and ask her and the Hunters to watch out for Leo while he is staying with Ms. Wilkes. Then, you can stay with Piper's dad to be closer to him in case he needs you. We'll keep you posted."

With that, the centaur swept his hand through the image and Camp Half Blood vanished from view.

Jason took a step back and tossed in another gold coin. "Show me Thalia Grace, wherever she is."

The daughter of Zeus appeared and her blue eyes immediately widened in pleasant surprise.

"Jason, what a surprise!" She said with a smile. "What's up, little bro?"

"Thalia, we have a problem. You remember Leo right?"

Thalia rolled her eyes. "Of course I do. He's the little elf kid that continuously flirted with me."

Jason nodded. "That's the one, but look, we need your help. Leo's a foster kid and today when we attended the ball with Piper and her dad, one of his past foster mothers noticed him. She's been given custody and Chiron is working on some legal arrangements, but in the mean time, we need someone to check on Leo while he's staying at Teresa's."

"Why?" Thalia asked. "I know he's immature, but I'm sure Leo can take care of himself."

Jason shook his head slowly. "I know he can, but you didn't see the way he looked at her. He looked more scared than when he faced Gaea."

Thalia sighed. "Look, Jason, I'd love to do it, but the Hunters are very busy at the mom-"

"We'll do it," a new voice said and an twelve year old girl strolled up behind Thalia. She could've passed for just another hunter, but there was no mistaking those moon colored eyes.

Jason and Piper hurriedly bowed (Mr. McLean had given them some privacy, so they were currently alone with an IM).

"My Lady, I don't mean to be rude, but it's hunting season," Thalia pointed out. "Usually nothing can pull us away from that."

Artemis nodded. "Usually, yes, Thalia, but I am the goddess of child birth, and in a way that makes me the goddess of children. He may be a teenager, but Leo is technically still a child. And if abuse is occurring in that household, it is my duty to check it out. We will check on him twice a week." She finished by facing Jason and Piper.

"Thank you, Lady Artemis," Jason said and Piper nodded in agreement. "Just make sure he's safe."

Artemis smiled at them. "We will. Now, get some rest. It is getting late where you are at."

She swept her hand through the IM and was gone.

They thought Leo was safe, but little did they know how wrong they were.

* * *

"Shut up, boy!"

"Ms. Teresa, I'm sorry! Please stop!"

Thwack! "You shouldn't have runaway, you worthless waste of space!" Thwack!

Quieter, the boy whispered to the floor of the basement, "Please, help me."

Leo Valdez was anything but safe.

* * *

 _What'd you think? I'll be posting more chapters this week, so trust me, I'll make sure it was worth the wait._


	3. Spying on Hell

_Hello!_

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

* * *

Thalia Grace had never been so bored in her life. Her and the Hunters, along with Lady Artemis, were camping in the forest across the street from Teresa Wilkes's house, and so far nothing had happened. No one had even left the house.

"I'm sure the boy is fine," a new Hunter named Carly said and Thalia nodded in agreement.

Suddenly, a group of kids came walking down the sidewalk, conversing in quiet tones but with the expert ears of a huntress, Thalia could hear them perfectly.

"Did you hear that that Valdez boy is moving back in with Ms. Wilkes?" A boy with green eyes said in amazement.

"Holy shit," a girl said, her blue eyes sad. "How long do you think he'll last?"

"Well, last time, he lasted about three months, and since he ran away, Wilkes will be pissed beyond relief. I say he'll last three weeks, maybe less," another boy responded, thinking hard.

The girl looked at the house with a sympathetic gaze. "I feel bad for him. I mean, he's not a bad kid; half of the things Teresa said he did were probably lies. Stealing food? Well, duh, she starved him. Not getting his chores done on time? She gave him an hour to clean the house top to bottom and if she found one speck of dust... all I'm saying is he didn't- doesn't- deserve this."

"No one does," the first boy agreed.

As if on cue, a blood curdling scream sounded from the Wilkes house and all the Hunters jumped, staring at the house in horror.

The kids leaped about a foot in the air before racing away, the girl crying silently.

Lady Artemis walked over, gazing at the house in melancholy and rage. "No child deserves that. Not even a boy."

Thalia nodded. "What do we do, my lady?"

"For now, we wait. When the child leaves the house, we act."

Little did they know, Leo Valdez wouldn't be leaving that house any time soon.

* * *

Leo Valdez currently hated his life; well, he'd hated his life for quite some time, but he hated it even more so at the moment.

He cried out as Teresa's belt bit into his bare back, and he felt the old wounds open as well as new ones forming. Blood dripped down his back and onto the floor of the basement.

"Say it again!" Teresa ground out.

Leo gritted his teeth to keep from yelping. "No way in hell," he hissed.

She hit him harder. "Say it!"

"Fuck you, bitch!" He cursed.

She kicked him before flicking out a pocket blade and digging it into his wrist. "Say it," she whispered into his ear.

She pressed harder, and Leo broke.

"I'm sorry for running away; it was a huge mistake. I know I deserve every punishment Miss Teresa delivers to my stupid, weak, worthless self. It is for my own good, and I should learn to accept that," he murmured to the ground.

"Good boy." Lips brushed his forehead in an almost motherly manner, but he knew that Teresa was only taunting him, making him feel disgusted and ashamed of himself for allowing her to control him.

He listened to her footsteps as she trekked up the stairs.

Then, he finally let himself cry.

* * *

Meanwhile, at camp, the papers were coming along nicely, but not as fast as Piper, Jason, and several others had hoped.

"We're about a third of the way done," an Athena girl told him. "I bet Valdez is gonna be in that house for another week or two unless someone else comes up with a better plan."

Jason shook his head. "At the moment, we don't have one. Leo doesn't have any relatives willing to take him in, other than his half siblings, but how would we explain the whole no fatherly DNA thing?"

Piper shrugged. "We could try to visit him."

"Is that allowed?" Hazel asked.

They turned to Annabeth.

"Well, I believe so if we get permission from the guardian or if Leo is not in her house at the time of the meeting," she responded.

"Well," Percy said, "Let's visit him."

"There's a downside," Piper interrupted. "Teresa looked like she wouldn't let Leo out of her sight after she found him again, and allowing us to visit him... unlikely."

"I agree with Piper," Annabeth stated. "The best thing we can do is wait for the papers to be done. I'm sure the Hunters will keep Leo safe."

Percy nodded. "You're right, but... I'm just a little worried for the little guy."

Jason snickered. "Don't let Leo hear you call him that."

Percy chuckled. "Yeah, he'll probably tackle me and ride around on my back all day."

"You said you'd never speak of that!" Jason laughed. "Man, who knew such a small kid had such a tight grip. I think I've still got those bruises on my shoulder."

Frank smiled. "Even I miss the little elf." He put his hand out. "Totally cheesy and overdone move, but... we're gonna get Leo back. Together."

They stacked their hands.

"For Leo!" They yelled as they broke.

Annabeth stopped. "We need something to do."

They all looked at her and then their hands, and nodded.

"Hey, Maggie, you need any help?" She called to her half sister.

"Sure, come on!"

* * *

Meanwhile, Olympus

"But Father, he's a hero of Olympus, and that woman is worse than some monsters I've come across."

"I said no, Artemis, and that's final."

"Husband, maybe you should. He did save Olympus."

"Even Lady Hera agrees with me, and she never agrees with your children. We must get the boy out of there!"

"Alright, we'll put it to a vote. All in favor of the plan, raise your hand."

Only two hands was left unraised: Ares and Zeus.

The gods turned to stare at Dionysis and Hades in confusion.

Dionysis shrugged. "I don't particularly care for the little brat, but the camp's too quiet without him."

"And he's saved my son more times than I can count in the past year," Hades stated.

Artemis turned to Zeus. "Father?"

He sighed, reluctantly. "Alright, Hephaestus and Hermes, get ready. It's time to put this plan into action."

* * *

 _How was it? Next chapter is when it starts to get interesting._


	4. A Surprise Visit

_Hello, here's the most interesting chapter so far._

 ** _Disclaimer: I own nothing_**

 **WARNINGS: LANGUAGE, SEMI-GRAPHIC SEXUAL ABUSE (ITALICIZED IF YOU WANG TO SKIP IT)**

* * *

Hermes nodded over his shoulder at Artemis and her Hunters hidden in the trees before knocking on Teresa Wilkes's door. He glanced at Hephaestus out of the corner of his eye, and mentioned to his own chin, signaling Hephaestus to snuff out a few fires.

Hephaestus had cleaned up. He'd altered his appearance, slightly, and shortened his beard (less random fires); he'd cleaned himself of any oil and grease and dressed in a nice suit. He'd tried to get rid of the boils on his face, but no matter how he altered his appearence, his face still appeared disfigured.

A beautiful woman answered it. She was dressed in skinny jeans and a pale blue shirt with her blonde hair tied up in a ponytail; she looked to be fifteen instead of the thirty something she was. The only thing out of place was the set of scratches on her face- fresh, no more than two or three days old. There were three red lines running across her cheek, looking like some animal had raked its claws across her face. Or like a human had scratched her with their nails.

"Yes?" She greeted.

Hermes forced a smile. "I am Herman Messenger, and I work with social services. I'm here to check on the well being of Leo Valdez."

"And this man?" She asked, nodding to Hephaestus.

"We will discuss that after the visit, but he is allowed to be here. His name is Michael Black."

"One more thing," she said. "Or two, actually. First of all, you're not Leo's social worker."

Hermes grinned. "Tom called in sick today, so I was appointed to perform the visit."

"Speaking of that, the visit isn't for another two weeks," Teresa informed them, her voice growing colder.

"Actually, it's procedure that we drop in for surprise visits. And with the accusations against you... well, we need to take extra precautions."

Just like that, Teresa's scowl vanished, replaced with a sickly sweet smile. "Of course. Come on in. I'll go fetch Leo."

She escorted them into her living room, which contained two couches that faced each other and a single arm chair. It was spotless and looked like a living room out of a dollhouse. Too perfect to be real.

After motioning them to sit on one of the couches, she disappeared into the kitchen.

Hermes and Hephaestus exchanged glances. Where was she keeping Leo?

* * *

MEANWHILE, IN THE BASEMENT...

"Get up," Teresa growled, dragging Leo up by his arm. "A social worker stopped by for a surprise visit, and we need to... fix you."

Had Leo not been worrying about being struck, he would've snorted. Good luck with that, bitch.

Leo was covered in bruises from head to toe, and there were cuts all over his body. Welts decorated his back, and numerous bones had been broken and left untreated. He'd been left in the basement for days without a shower and smelled like blood and dirt. His hair was clumped with dried blood. How was she going to hide all of that?

"Change," she snarled, throwing a new set of clothes at him. After he'd done so, she grabbed his wrists and cleaned off any dried blood before doing the same with his face. Luckily for her, she'd stayed away from Leo's face, so there was only one bruise that was almost hidden by his hair and some dried blood from his scalp after she'd thrown a bottle at him.

By the end of the two minutes she'd set to fixing him up, he looked almost as good as new, but he didn't feel as good as new.

Teresa dragged him up the stairs and into the living room.

"Sorry about the wait, but Leo here was napping and you know, waking up teenage boys is never easy."

One of the men laughed. "I have three of my own and two girls. I would know. It's quite alright."

Leo froze as he met the mens' eyes. His father (cleaner and with a shorter bears, but definitely his father) and Hermes were sitting on the sofa.

"Well, Leo, sit and we'll talk," Teresa said, a little coldly as she forced Leo onto the sofa. She took a seat beside him and gripped his wrist in a bruising grasp.

Hermes nodded. "After doing some research, I've found someone that is very interested in Leo's current placement. Ms. Wilkes, I'd like you to meet Michael Black, Leo's biological father."

Teresa could not have been more surprised if he'd smacked her upside the head.

"But... why is he here? After all, you abandoned Leo as a baby, so why should you care now?" She snapped.

Michael sighed. "I was young, and... I panicked. I've been searching for Leo since he was nine, but he'd been put into the system, and every time I tracked him down, he was moved before I could get to him. But I'm here now, and... Leo belongs with his father."

"No," Teresa scowled. "He belongs with me. I'm the only person that cares about him!" She gripped him by the back of the hair and yanked him into what was almost a hug.

Hephaestus growled, "I care. The friends that you took him from care! The people at his summer camp care! His half brothers and sister care!"

"I need permission from Leo's real social worker before I hand him over. And proof of your relation," Teresa relented.

Hermes nodded. "Done. We'll have Mr. Martin here within the week, and at that moment, we'll give you all the proof you need."

"Alright. Then, get out," she spat.

Hermes and Hephaestus stood and did as they were told, but Hephaestus glanced one last time at his favorite child. At his dull eyes and permanent frown and emotionless expression, so unlike the smiling, happy joker he'd been not even two weeks ago. He needed to get Leo out of this house as soon as possible.

As soon as their car drove off, Teresa seized Leo by the collar and yanked him up the stairs.

"Damn it," she hissed. "Damn."

They arrived in the bathroom, and the woman shoved Leo onto the toilet before turning the water to scalding hot. She plugged the drain and allowed the tub to fill.

Leo watched the water as his foster mother glared at him in a way that made him... uncomfortable.

"If that man is your biological father, I finally know where you get your ugliness from," she smirked.

Leo didn't snap back, and he hated himself for it. Had she already broken him? She couldn't have. He was Leo Valdez, hero of the Giant War!

Still, he couldn't bring himself to talk back.

When the tub was full, she stopped the water and reached over to take off Leo's shirt.

The son of blacksmiths lunged away, his back pressed against the cool porcelain on the back of the toilet.

"What are you-" he began, but a slap to the face stopped him from further protesting.

"Shut up," she growled. "Unless you want me to give you the 'most fun game' of your life, I suggest you do as I ask."

Leo stopped his struggles. Games were different. Hitting, kicking, whipping, he could take. But games, as Teresa called them, were the worst yet, and the more fun they were for her, the more painful they were for him. He remembered one of her games from his first time here; she'd made him eat endless amounts of food until his stomach was gurgling and he was begging her to stop. As if that wasn't bad enough, she'd made him vomit afterwards and eat it. He'd promptly thrown up again. It'd gone on like that until he'd kept all of it down. (This 'game' is based off of a real life child abuse case)

He shivered. He did not want to do anything like that again.

 _So he let her undress him and put him in the bathtub. But when she started washing him, he couldn't take it; he stopped her._

 _"No, please," Leo whispered._

 _She slammed his head into the wall three times, and blood stained the wall, where his head had made contact. Leo stopped saying no. Maybe if he shut up, he could come out of this alive._

 _So Teresa touched him and washed him and even... kissed him. There were times when Leo grabbed her hand or started crying, and she'd punish him by slamming his head into the wall, punching him, or even pouring soap into his eyes and mouth._

Suddenly, though, she slammed the cloth over his mouth and nose, so when he breathed in, he breathed in water and not air. Leo clawed at her face and hand to stop her, but no luck. The cloth remained in its place.

Leo tried to light on fire, but since he was soaked, all he succeeded in doing was causing his hair to smoke. Whether she noticed or not, he didn't know, but if she did, she didn't appear shocked.

Finally, Leo was able to kick her, and he sent her sprawling into the door. The son of Hephaestus grabbed his clothes and ran, dashing from room to room, throwing on his clothes as he went.

The fire user wrenched open the front door and bolted outside, getting a lot of weird looks. After all, he was soaking wet and covered in bruises and obviously panicked.

Before Leo got to the end of the driveway, though, Teresa was there, grabbing the back of his shirt and yanking him into her grip.

The demigod cried out and kicked and writhed and screamed for help, but no one came. He didn't know why he'd expected them to; the first time he'd lived here, no one had helped him. Why would they start now?

He was thrown back into the house and into a table, which splintered and stabbed him with tiny, jagged pieces of wood.

Leo was so dazed, he couldn't even climb to his feet; she kicked his leg, and the teenager yelped as a Crack! rang through the room.

He coughed and breathed heavily, trying to forget about the fire burning through his surely broken leg.

"You won't be running anywhere," Teresa sneered.

Teresa yanked Leo to his feet (or foot, since he couldn't stand on one) and dragged him back to the doorway to the basement.

"Stay down there, you little brat!" She growled, shoving Leo down the steps.

Leo did somersaults down them until he reached the bottom, where he landed on his bad leg.

"Please," Leo whispered to the ceiling.

He didn't know what he was praying to, but either way, they didn't listen.

They never did.

* * *

Harley woke up crying.

"NYSSA!" He screamed, uncharacteristically panicked. "JAKE! NYSSA!"

The door burst open, and the entire Hephaestus cabin burst into Harley's private room. Jake and Nyssa sat on the bed while Christopher, Shane, and Kyle all stood off to the side, there should the two eldest and the youngest need anything.

"Shh, it's alright," Nyssa whispered. "Did you have a bad dream?"

Harley nodded. "But it was real."

"Was it a demigod dream?"

"Not exactly. It was a brother dream."

Nyssa scrunched up her forehead in confusion, but the next words out of Harley's mouth makes her heart skip a beat.

"Leo's hurt, Nyssa. Leo's hurt!"

* * *

In Elysium, there's a special lake, where you can look into it and see your loved ones.

Esperanza started crying when she looked upon her Leo and saw what that awful woman- no, monster- was doing to her son.

 _Leo shivered in the bathtub as she started touching him, and he begged her to stop, but every time he did so, she pounded his head against the wall._

"Oh, Leo," she whispered.

"Esperanza, what's wrong?" A voice asked from behind her.

It was Beckendorf and Silena; they must've come to look in on their half siblings. They'd gotten acquainted after Beckendorf had discovered Leo to be his half brother, and since Leo was friends with Piper, Silena had met Esperanza, as well.

They looked over her shoulder, and Silena actually started crying when she saw what Teresa was doing to Leo.

"Oh, gods," she whispered.

"Why is he there?" Beckendorf asked. "Shouldn't he be at camp?"

"That monster used to be his foster mother. They ran into each other at a ball Piper and her dad had attended; Piper had invited Leo and Jason, you see. Apparently, Leo had never officially been taken out of her custody, so she was able to regain full custody."

"And she abuses him," Beckendorf finished; if he were a fire user, he would've started smoking, he was so angry.

Suddenly, there was a bang! Leo had thrown Teresa against the bathroom door and was jumping out of the bath and grabbing his clothes.

He raced through the house, throwing on his clothes as he went before bursting outside.

"HELP ME!" He screamed, running as fast as his injured body would allow. "HELP!"

Before Leo could get past the bottom of the driveway, however, Teresa grabbed him by the back of his shirt and yanked him inside.

No one helped him. No one even picked up a phone to call 911.

He was thrown back into the house and into a table, which splintered and stabbed him with tiny, jagged pieces of wood.

Leo was so dazed, he couldn't even climb to his feet; she kicked his leg, and the teenager yelped as a Crack! rang through the room.

"You won't be running anywhere," Teresa sneered.

Teresa yanked Leo to his feet (or foot, since he couldn't stand on one) and dragged him back to the doorway of the basement.

"Stay down there, you little brat!" She growled, shoving Leo down the steps.

Leo did somersaults down them until he reached the bottom, where he landed on his bad leg.

"Please," Leo whispered to the ceiling.

"Oh, Leo," Esperanza whispered.

"I'll kill her," Beckendorf said before turning on his heel and walking away.

"Where are you going?" Silena called after him.

"You'll see. Just keep watching the image. I have to talk with Nico."

"He's out for blood," Silena muttered.

"It's good to see him caring for someone he doesn't even know just because they're family," Esperanza said. "Some family members don't care even when they know someone."

Esperanza looked back at the image, now showing Rose Valdez, very sick and on her death bed.

She caught sight of twenty year old Raphael in the background.

He'd been a bit rude, but... he and Leo had been good friends at one time, and he had matured tremendously.

She had an idea.

* * *

 _Did you like it? It's undoubtedly the best chapter so far._

 _Bye._


	5. Cousins, Brothers, and Rescue Missions

_Hey, this is the last chapter. This story was only meant to be 5-10 chapters, but I do have good news:_

 _There is a high chance that this story will be rewritten. I am rewriting a lot of my stories, so that is a bit farther down the road, but it will probably be rewritten at some point._

 _ALSO, if you have not already, **please check out the poll on my profile. I am trying to decide what story to write next, and the summaries are on my profile. Please vote!**_

 _ **Disclaimer: I own nothing**_

 _ **WARNINGS: CHILD ABUSE**_

* * *

Raphael Valdez rarely dreamed. The last time he'd had a vivid dream was around the time his parents divorced almost ten years ago.

Therefore, when he opened his eyes and found himself in a world that was empty aside from the sheer white landscape, he was very confused.

"Hello, nephew."

Raphael whipped around and found himself staring at... his Aunt Esperanza?

"No way. You're dead," he muttered.

His aunt smiled. "I am, but I worked out a deal with the ruler of the afterlife, I suppose you could call him."

Raphael blinked. "So... why are you here?"

"I need your help."

Raphael scoffed. "Me? You never liked me. You stayed away from us whenever you could."

Esperanza sighed. "I wasn't staying away from you. I was staying away from your mother. We both know she was never fond of me."

Raphael shrugged. He loved his mom, but he couldn't argue with that.

"The point is... Leo's in trouble."

Raphael knit his eyebrows. "Leo? What kind of trouble?"

Esperanza launched into an explanation of Teresa and Leo having to return to her (editing it to avoid revealing any information that has to do with demigods or gods).

Raphael pursed his lips, horrified by the information he'd received.

Leo and him had been best friends as young children, believe it or not. When Raphael was eight and Leo was four, Raphael's mother had tugged the kids apart. Rosa hadn't wanted anything to do with Esperanza or Leo, and Raphael, being her son, looked up to her and followed in her footsteps.

As Raphael aged, he started to realize how wrong his mother had been. Just because Leo was born out of a wedlock didn't mean he was a diablo. Just because Leo had been at the warehouse didn't mean he'd caused Esperanza's death. Just because of awful circumstances and awful luck didn't mean he deserved to be thrown to social services.

Raphael loved his mother, and he knew that people make mistakes, but he could never bring himself to forgive her for that. He couldn't even forgive himself.

"What do you want me to do?" Raphael choked out.

Esperanza took a deep breath. "Just... check on him. Do whatever you can to get him out of there."

Raphael nodded. "I-I will, Tia."

Esperanza smiled. "It's been a while since you called me that. Please, tell Leo and your mother it wasn't his fault."

Esperanza didn't elaborate, and she didn't have to do. Raphael knew what she meant.

The scenery melted away, and Raphael sat bolt up right in bed.

Raphael swung his legs off of the bed and grabbed his jacket before heading for the front door.

"Where are you going?" A frail voice called from behind him.

"To fix your mistakes, Mamá," Raphael replied, not turning around, before exiting the house.

* * *

The house looked like something out of Barbie land with a perfectly trimmed lawn and crimson curtains and a maroon front door. The house was wooden and the house was pristine, as though it were washed more than once a day.

Raphael walked up to the door and rapped upon it with his knuckles.

Barbie herself answered the door.

(Seriously, if the woman had some plastic surgery to give her the shine of plastic, she could easily pass as a doll.)

"Yes?" She said.

Raphael inhaled, deeply. "I'm Raphael Valdez, cousin of Leo Valdez."

"And?" The woman demanded, instantly going from cold to downright icy.

"I heard he was staying here. Could I speak with him?"

"Why?" The woman (Teresa, he remembered) snapped. "I thought your family threw the brat to social services."

"That was my mother's decision, not mine," Raphael replied. "Leo's mother would want me to look out for him, and now that I am old enough, I'm here. He's my cousin. Let me see him."

"I'm his legal guardian. You have no right to do anything," Teresa smirked.

"I'm his family."

"By blood, not by law."

Raphael stood as tall as he could without being on his tippy toes and stabbed the woman in her chest with his finger.

"Listen here, Barbie. Either you let me see my cousin, or I get social services involved. You've already had one major strike. You think they'll let you have another?" Raphael growled.

"Get off my lawn," Teresa ordered before slamming the door, nearly taking off the man's finger.

Raphael sighed as he retrieved his phone from his pocket and headed for his car. He dialed a number he'd looked up on the Internet and placed the phone against his ear.

"Martin Blake, social worker," a man's voice said.

"Yes, I have reason to believe Teresa Wilkes is abusing her foster child."

* * *

"Can you do it?" Beckendorf asked.

Nico stood over the gaping pit full of remnants of McDonald's meals, and he faced the ghost of Charles Beckendorf.

Nico smiled. "Do you know me, Beckendorf?"

Beckendorf laughed. "I do. Summon me when it's time."

The spirit vanished.

* * *

The pointy tip of Teresa's high heeled shoes bit into Leo's ribs as her shoe came in contact with his body.

"Worthless waste of space," she sneered. "That rotten cousin of yours stopped by."

"Raff...el," Leo slurred. He hadn't had any food or water since he'd arrived, and that was taking a toll on his body. "W...y?"

Teresa shrugged. "I don't know. Thought your family didn't care about you. After all, you did kill your mother. If that were my sister or daughter, I wouldn't want you in my house."

"Not..." Leo trailed off, lacking the strength to say more.

"Not your fault. Like anyone believes that. The fire started right where you were standing, Leo. And you're telling me it wasn't your fault?" Teresa mocked.

Leo muttered, incomprehensibly, before drifting off again.

Teresa kicked him again, startling Leo back into consciousness.

"Nah ah," she scolded. "There's one more thing I have to do."

Teresa retieved a lighter and a sowing needle from her pocket before running the sowing needle over the flame.

Fire and heat don't burn Leo's skin, but open wounds are different. Leo may be immune to fire on the outside, but as soon as the fire enters his body, it's a whole nother ball game.

Teresa touched the needle to Leo's skin and pressed down.

Leo's scream could be heard all through the neighborhood.

Teresa carved the needle across Leo's skin, slicing open the tanned skin and burning the open wounds until blood dripped down Leo's stomach.

"Please, Miss Teresa," Leo sobbed, too weak to run, too weak to fight. "Puh-lease."

Teresa simply smirked before finishing the job and tossing the needle to the floor.

"See you, brat," she sneered.

Teresa climbed the stairs, leaving Leo bleeding and weak and dying on the basement floor, and she entered her bedroom.

Teresa whistled as though nothing were wrong as she folded her clothes and placed them in a suitcase.

The boy would be dead soon. She had gotten her revenge. She did not plan on being sent to prison.

It was time for a change anyway, she mused as she slipped her tickets to the Bahamas and her Passport (identifying her as Tina Williams) into her purse.

Teresa zipped her suitcase and slung her purse over her shoulder before heading for the door.

She was cut off when a skeletal hand crept from beneath the earth and grabbed her ankle, making her trip and tumble to the floor.

Teresa screamed as skeleton after skeleton broke through her floorboards and clawed their way to the surface.

Teresa dropped everything, the contents of her purse skidding across the ruined floor, before running for the door and battling with the lock.

A skeleton grabbed the collar of her shirt and yanked her backwards. Skeletons immediately blocked the door.

As if this event couldn't get any more frightening, spirits appeared out of thin air, and shadows peeled themselves off of the walls.

Teresa screeched as one of the spirits took full form, allowing her to make out details. The spirit, who towered over her at six foot, glowered down at her.

"Wh-Who are you?" She stammered.

"Charles Beckendorf, Leo's dead half brother. If you ever come near him again, my friend and I will let these skeletons do what they wish with you, and trust me, they aren't merciful."

Teresa shakily nodded.

"Good," Beckendorf growled. "Now, leave."

Teresa grabbed her suitcase and gathered the things that had fallen out of her purse before she was out the door in a flash.

Beckendorf turned to Nico, who materialized out of the shadows.

"I have to go," Beckendorf stated, reluctantly. "Take care of him for me."

Nico nodded, and Beckendorf vanished.

Nico reached out with his senses, checking the house for life forces, and when he finally picked up on a weak, flickering one from below his feet, he ran for the basement stairs.

Nico dashed down the steps, and he immediately noticed Leo Valdez lying on the ground in the center of the basement, unmoving.

He wasn't dead. Not yet. But he was close to it.

Nico knelt beside Leo and hurriedly unscrewed the cap of his thermos before dribbling some nectar into Leo's mouth.

Leo's eyes opened, but his life force continued to flicker, like a flame in the center of a hurricane.

"Nic...o," Leo stammered, voice feeble at best.

Nico nodded. "Yeah, Leo, it's me. Okay, hang on. We're going to shadow travel now."

Nico grabbed the mechanic's hand, and the shadows enveloped them, whisking them away in a flurry of freezing temperatures and unpenetrated darkness.

Nico and Leo appeared in the Infirmary at Camp Half Blood, startling more than a few Healers.

"Will!" Nico called for his boyfriend, who hurried over. "HELP HIM!"

Will paled at the sight of Leo, and the blonde called over several of his half siblings to help.

Will and two of his half brothers lifted Leo onto a stretcher and hustled off into the 'emergency room' (it was just a single room where people with extreme cases or people who were highly contagious were taken).

Nico stared after them before going to locate the rest of the seven and give them the news.

* * *

Leo was in more pain than even imaginable.

His left leg was completely numb; his right wrist itched and tingled; his ribs ached, and he felt like someone was sitting on his chest. Something poked his arm, and when he jostled it, he heard a few thumps and clings as a few objects bumped against each other. Every area of his body ached and throbbed and some even screamed (particularly his stomach) at him to pay attention to them.

Leo opened his swollen eyes and gazed around the room in search of someone or something.

Machines and tubes invaded his vision everywhere he looked.

"I know all the tubes and stuff aren't very fun," a voice sighed, "but you're going to have to get used to them."

Leo blinked as he turned to face Will Solace, who deserted his chair beside the door and went to stand at Leo's bedside.

"Will," Leo mumbled. "What... the last thing I remember..."

"Nico rescued you," Will explained. "I haven't gotten to whole story out of him yet, but he brought you here."

"What happened to... to... T-Teresa?" Leo stuttered, almost unable to speak her name without apprehension flooding through his body.

Will shrugged. "I don't know. Nico just said she won't be bothering you anymore."

Leo nodded. "That's good. How bad are my injuries?"

"Your left leg is broken. Your right wrist is fractured. Three cracked ribs, one broken, and one fractured. You had some internal bleeding and severe dehydration and starvation. The internal bleeding has been stopped, and the dehydration and starvation are being cleared up, courtesy of the tubes and the machines."

"Won't the machines attract monsters?" Leo asked.

Will shrugged with a small smile. "Due to the celestial bronze chip you created last month, these machines repel monsters whether than attract them."

Leo grinned. "Glad to be of service, good sir," he laughed before wincing as he jostled his ribs.

Will stared at him in sympathy. "Yeah, that'll be hurting for a while."

Leo smiled. "Don't worry. The universe seems to love breaking my ribs, so I'm pretty much used to that by now."

Will chuckled before his smile dropped.

"Leo, the physical aftermath is being healed and taken care of, but I want to talk to you about the mental part of this."

Leo refrained from glaring. Instead, he gave Will a hard, convincing stare and stated:

"I'm fine, Will."

"No," Will replied. "You're not. I talked to Reyna, and she found a demigod in New Rome that went on to become a councilor that specializes in abuse. She's going to help you."

Leo shook his head. "I've had enough shrinks to last a life time."

"Leo, no one could come out of this ordeal unscathed. When Artemis heard some of the details, she told me that it turned her stomach. It takes a lot to trigger a who knows how many centuries old goddess. Leo, you're not fine," Will said.

Leo sighed. "When is it?"

"Early next week," Will responded. "Are you up to visitors?"

Leo scoffed. "Of course. It's not like I can deal with your company for extended periods of times," he joked.

Will smiled. "Okay. Some people want to see you."

Will walked over to the door and opened it

"Be gentle," he ordered to Leo's visitors.

"I may be pretty, but I'm not a China doll!" Leo called.

Will rolled his eyes as he glanced at Leo over his shoulder before exiting the room and allowing the visitors to step inside.

The rest of the seven, Chiron, Nico, Nyssa, Harley, and Jake entered the room.

Leo raised an eyebrow. "Wow, I didn't expect a part-YYY!"

Harley tackled Leo in a hug. Thankfully, he was gentle, and Leo experienced more surprise than pain.

"Harley, gentle!" Nyssa chided.

"No, Nyssa, it's fine," Leo said as Harley began sobbing.

Leo rubbed Harley's back and allowed Harley to bury his face in Leo's shoulder, soaking Leo's shirt with his tears.

"Shh, Harley, it's okay," Leo whispered. "I'm okay."

"You almost weren't."

Leo looked up at Nico, who was showing more emotion than Leo had ever seen him display.

"What?" Leo asked.

"Leo," Nico said, inhaling deeply. "When I found you, I thought you weren't going to make it."

Leo wasn't sure how to respond to that, so he simply turned back to Harley.

"But I did," he finally said. "I made it. It's over."

But Leo knew it wasn't.

* * *

As soon as everyone left (no one had said much. Leo was just glad they were there), Leo rolled up the edge of his shirt to see what Teresa had done to his stomach.

If he had anything in his stomach, he would've gotten sick.

Two words were carved into his skin.

Leo rolled his shirt back down and laid back on the bed, the words ringing in his ears.

 _Devil's Spawn._

* * *

"Leo?" Chiron said as he rolled his chair into the Infirmary with a phone in his lap. "Somebody wants to talk to you."

Leo frowned, wondering who on earth would want to call him, and how did they even find him?

Leo took the phone from Chiron and watched the centaur roll his chair out of the room to give Leo some privacy.

Leo picked up the phone and placed it against his ear.

"Hello?" He said.

"Hey, menor primo. What's up?"

(Menor primo: little cousin)

"R-Raphael?" Leo sputtered.

"Hi," Raphael replied. "Long time, no see, aye?"

"W-why are you calling?" Leo asked, shocked.

"Your... you're going to think I'm crazy."

Leo laughed. "Try me."

"I saw your mother."

Leo paused. Whatever he'd been expecting, it hadn't been that.

"Oh," Leo said. "Dream?"

"Yeah."

There was an awkward silence.

"Leo, would you... like to visit? Mamá is still bitter, but abuela misses you, and mi papá. Even my siblings. Your activities director explained about Teresa, so you can come down when you're healed."

Leo's eyes were the size of softballs, and his grin was brighter than Apollo's chariot.

"Yeah," he said. "I'd like that."

"Okay. Just call me when you're ready, and we'll work out the details. It's been a while since I've said this, but... te amo, my primo."

(Te amo, mi primo: I love you, my cousin)

"Te amo tambian," Leo agreed. "Adios."

"Hasta la vista."

(Tambian: also; adios: goodbye; hasta la vista: see you soon)

Leo hung up the phone just as Nico walked in.

"Hey, Nico," he said.

"I just thought you might want to know," Nico smirked, "Teresa was caught. She's been arrested for life. Piper _may_ have played a part in her sentencing."

Leo chuckled. "Thanks."

Nico gave a small smile, but it was more than Leo had seen on Nico's face in a long time.

"You never need to thank us for helping you," Nico told him.

Leo smiled.

"I know."

* * *

 _Not the best ending, but it could've been worse._

 _As for the Spanish, that is from my limited knowledge of Spanish that I picked up in my Spanish class, so I apologize if I made mistakes._

 _If you haven't followed this, I highly suggest it because once I rewrite it, I will post a chapter here to tell you so._

 _Goodbye!_

 ** _CHECK OUT THE POLL ON MY PROFILE!_**


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